The National tribune., 1887-10-27


place" and / learned for the first time of
traverses and their use, and how magazines
and bomb-proofs were made. Very soon the
enthusiastic young Texas rebel learned to
know a ship-gun from those used ordinarily
by land forces only, and to distinguish at
sight s Rodman from a Dahlgren gun, or
field-guns from those for mounted in case
mate or barbette, and to know the caliber of
each. In thus
WANDERING ABOUT THE CAMPS
and works day after day, learned the de-
tails of every command there, and the names
of all the regimental and most of the COM
pany officers and batteries. and before made
my escape knew the number and caliber of
all the guns mounted, the quantity of shot
and shell for each, and how each gun trained.
At that time l could readily have made q
plan showing every work and gun.
At last / learned even the rebel plan by
which il was intended to attack and capt
ure Fort Pickens. When the Texas troops
should arrive at Mobile, under Gen. John B.
Hood, l think, they were TO be marched to
the coast and taken by night on transports
to some point on Santa Rosa Island, six or
more miles from the fort, while strong
demonstration was to be made from Bragg's
immediate front. In this attack
THE coLUMBIAD BATTERY
was to take an important part, and this re-
quires further explanation. The battery,
which / have described briefly above, was
located Just above the waters edge, at a point
where the rear face of Fort Pickens could be
reached by its guns. The fort had been To-
Gated and constructed by United States En-
gineer officers just at the point of Santa Rosa
Island-a long, low sand spit, to defend the
entrance to the bay. 1t had three tiers of
casemate guns and barbet guns on the
parapet, in three of the four irregular faces,
but the fourth side, or rear, which faced the
bay, was weak, and had no guns or places to
mount them. When the work was designed
il was never dreamed that q time might
come when IN attack from the landward
side wouid be possible. The rebels knew
as well as our own officers all of the details
of the fort, and the planting of the COlum-
biads was for the purpose of preaching and
battering down that weak landward face,
and the troops landing on Santa Rosa were
to assault as soon as the wall was preached.
Very soon after my arrival | determined
that rs soon rs possible | must
CoNMUyICATE WITH PICKENs
to warn Lieut.. Slemmer of the location of
learned the plan OF the attack it became evil
dent that / must make my dangerous escape
at once, as the time fixed was then only q
few nights Off
Daring my stay / had made number of
intimate acquaintance, and with several |
spent much of the time in boating and sail
ing expeditions Oh the broad bay. Each day
/ made point of going out, and evidenced
a,sl sl,rEf IN II
Texas inlander, you know, and while gen.
orally had n companion, j frequently went
alone, rs il was my plan TO cross the bay
some dark night to Piekens, warn Lieut..
Slemmer, and then return, and by thus max
ing trips often alone suspicion would be di-
yerted.
At last, one afternoon, started out from
the town in a rowboat with young negro
man at the oars, to go fishing. The man
rowed me well across the bay, and then
down along the eastern shore to the fishing
ground, where we remained until dark.
had dressed myself in rough clothes, and
wore flannel shirt to carry out my assump-
tion of being on a fishing excursion, and the
negro had no idea in the world of my inten-
tions.
When we stopped fishing it was quite
dark, and we were then fully two miles from
either shore OF the bay, When my boatman
resumed the oars, with myselfat the Tudder,
gradually headed the boat southwark toward
Santa Rosa Island. The negro soon discoy-
cred the direction, despite the intense dark
ness, aud tried to turn toward the town.
demonstrated, and claimed that we were al
ready going in the right direction, and when
he insisted that he was right, / bade him
pull in the same direction awhile longer and
he would find that i was right. He rather
sulkily obeyed, but was very apparently nm
convinced.
The night was very still and the water
smooth, so that we were able TO hear noises
| in every direction, OF the numerous guard
boats filled with rebels that nightly patrolled
the harbor Very often we could distinguish
the voices and conversation in the boats near,
and was filled with dread suspense
Very soon after, perhaps at 8 o'clock, the
man stopped rowing and declared firmly
that he was fight-that we were going
straight toward Santa Rosa.
"Fust ting you know, Mahster, we come
right down on San Rosy, an the Yankees
git us, suah.n
] endeavOred again TO argue the point, but
he became more and more in earnest, until
! he was on the verge of open inSubOTdinatiOn
and as / could do nothing further with him
by argument or resistance i must act.
/ had already gone too far to retreat in
safety. 1t was death now to return and
even run the risk of the sure suspicion that
would follow, so / slipped quietly down in
the boat toward the man, and suddenly
DRAWING A HUGE DIRK,
thrust it close 10 his face, where he could
see the CLEAN of the steel
He saw the blade, but before he could
move or make cry TO alarm the guard-bOat
men / grasped his throat and said deter
minedly in low voice,
"Row STRAIGHT FOR SANTA ROSA,
or I'll drive this through your heart If yor
say word above n whisper Tll take you
life"
The poor man was paralyZed for mo
ment with fear, but then, rs / bade hin
bend to his oars, he seemed for the first tim,
to understand the meaning of my strang
actions before. and began rowing with a vii
as though his heart was in IL.
The little boat fairly flew through th
water, and the darkness was rs intense as
thick black vail hung about us. We coul,
, still hear the guard-hoats near by, and offer
had to stop until they passed further away
Never in my life have l endured such
severe mental strain as in that nights rae
past the watchful rebel boats for safety an,
freedom. The voices from the other boat
came so distinctly over the water that the,
seemed almost TO be at my very ear, or jus
at the stern beyond me.